Teens paid not to get pregnant

[Tuffty]

A pregnancy prevention program based at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro that pays 12 to 18 year old girls one dollar for every day they are not pregnant has spurred conversation and raised eyebrows as it has made its way through the blogosphere. College Bound Sisters was founded in its most infant stages almost 20 years ago by Hazel Brown, professor of nursing, and Rebecca Saunders, associate dean of the graduate school. But the program made headlines after a Fox News story brought to light its incentive-based system.

Brown emphasized that College Bound Sisters is more than just a monetary transaction. The money -- which gets deposited into a college savings account -- is given to the participants only after they achieve all three goals of the program: not getting pregnant, graduating from high school and enrolling in college. The girls also receive $5 per week for transportation to the program's classes in sexual health and preparation for college. Some students who have stuck with it have received over $2,000 toward a college degree.

The program is specifically set up for girls whose sisters had a baby before the age of 18, which statistically puts them at risk for teen pregnancy as well. Participants are separated into groups of 12-14 and 15-18.

More here

At first I just thought, is this what it's come down to, being paid for something you shouldn't really be doing? But after thinking about it, it's perhaps not such a crazy idea. For one, it encourages girls to have safe sex and continue their education and thus become a happier, more productive member of society. And in the long run, it probably saves the state (and therefore taxpayers) money rather than paying benefits for 18 years. Ultimately, I don't think money is perhaps a big enough incentive however, but if there's even a dent in the number of teen pregnancies as a result of this, then it's a start.

[redux]

I'd like to see them try this in my hometown; the number one place of teen pregnancies in the country. I'm sure that they'd welcome the idea actually, a lot of the chavs around here would welcome a bit of extra cash to feed whatever habits they have, except the baby making habit of course.

[berjnsan21]

We are living in a very modern age as we use different high tech facilities. Teens become more aggressive when it comes to opposite sex relationship. Thus, a result of early pregnancy among them will result.

[twissie]

Heh.

Reminds me how some of my classmates in secondary school got money from their parents for not smoking, yet these kids were super happy about it because "MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON SMOKES, YOU GUYS. AWESOME SET-UP!". 

This sounds like such a crap thing to do, though. Where is all this money coming from? Have they raised tuition/other school fees in order to run this program? Why not just focus on good sex ed instead? That should cure any sane 12-18 year old from wanting kids. I HOPE. Then again I don't have any siblings, so I don't know what it's like trying to follow up a sister's stupid mistakes Perhaps I'd need money to encourage me not to do the same thing..... though I highly doubt it <,<

[Amplifier]

Reminds me how some of my classmates in secondary school got money from their parents for not smoking, yet these kids were super happy about it because "MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON SMOKES, YOU GUYS. AWESOME SET-UP!". 

 

This sounds like such a crap thing to do, though. Where is all this money coming from? Have they raised tuition/other school fees in order to run this program? Why not just focus on good sex ed instead? That should cure any sane 12-18 year old from wanting kids. I HOPE. Then again I don't have any siblings, so I don't know what it's like trying to follow up a sister's stupid mistakes Perhaps I'd need money to encourage me not to do the same thing..... though I highly doubt it <,<

 

Sex ed at my high school consisted of (entirely, no joke): Don't have sex before marriage, because it's a special sacred bond between two people (with not so subtle religious undertones). Instead of telling people the actual statistics and facts about various forms of birth control, they basically tried to claim that women will 99% of the time DIE if they use any form birth control available to them, that condoms have a 99% failure rate, etc. It was hilarious. Unfortunately, I think some people believed that.

There wasn't any of "but if you have sex, ever, do this". They tried to beat the idea of sex outside of marriage out of our heads, and made it sound like there was no reason to use any contraceptives thereafter. It still baffles me as to why that was considered reasonable at all.